3 oz Semisweet chocolate; chopped
1 oz Unsweetened chocolate;
-chopped 1 c Coffee, hot & strong; plus
-2 tbs 1/2 c Unsalted butter; room temp
1 1/2 c Sugar
1 ts Vanilla extract
2 c Cake flour, sifted
=not all-purpose 2 lg Eggs; room temp
1 ts Baking soda
1/2 ts Salt
This recipe allows for NO deviations. Follow it exactly and you’ll have the lightest, moistest, chocolaty cake in your life. This means CAKE flour and not all-purpose, and eggs and butter MUST be at room temperature. And when the recipe says STIR, use lowest speed on the KA. I’ve made it 6 times and 4 of those times I “deviated” with poor results. Preheat the oven to 350. Use a tube pan that is constructed in one piece because the batter is very thin and will flow through the seams of a 2-piece pan. Butter it GENEROUSLY and coat it with flour. Tap out excess. Measure out everything. Melt the chocolate close to the end because if it cools it won’t mix in properly. Heat the chocolate with 2 TBS of coffee over low heat, stirring constantly until it
is just melted and smooth. Reserve. Cream the butter; then gradually add the sugar and beat until the mixture is light. Add the eggs one at a time; then STIR in the vanilla and the melted chocolate. Sift the flour and measure 2 cups; then resift with the baking soda and the salt. GENTLY STIR it into the batter, ALTERNATING it with the rest of the coffee, until all is incorporated. Pour the batter into the tube pan, and bake the cake for 50 minutes, or until the cake pulls away from the sides and a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Let rest 5 minutes in the pan, then turn out onto a rack to cool.
When cool, dust with powdered sugar. You may cut the cake in half and fill it with a chocolate icing but it stands superbly alone. Robin Isaacs. —–